May 10 2007
Building Futures/Evening Standard Homes & Property debate:
“This house believes you can’t build me happiness”
31 May 2007 at 7pm, Building Design Partnership, 16 Brewhouse Yard, EC1
Can architecture make us happy? Is the planning process inhibiting our happiness?
There is no easy formula for creating happiness as it is dictated by a number of characteristics: the visual quality of our environment; our exposure to daylight, colour, views, and access to other people; and our environments’ reliability, cost, and fitness for purpose. There are diverging perspectives on whether happiness should be a specific design priority for architects. Supporters believe happiness is a vital consideration; opponents criticise prioritising such an abstract and nebulous issue.
The motion, This house believes you can’t build me happiness, will be debated on Thursday 31 May at 7pm at Building Design Partnership, 16 Brewhouse Yard, EC1. The event has been organised by the Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) think tank, Building Futures, in conjunction with the Evening Standard’s Homes & Property magazine.
Architect Alex Lifschutz and artist Peter Fink will be speaking for the motion. Consulting engineer Jane Wernick and architect Kathryn Findlay will be in opposition. Pooran Desai, co-developer of BedZed at BioRegional development group, will be speaking from the floor on behalf of the motion, and architect Rab Bennetts, of Bennetts Associates Architects, will speak for the opposition. The debate will be chaired by Philippa Stockley of the Evening Standard.
Tickets to 'This house believes you can’t build me happiness' are FREE, but limited, and must be booked in advance from [email protected]